Powdered-coal apparatus



June 5, 1923. 1,457,522

A. J. GRINDLE POWDERED COAL APPARATUS June 5, 1923. 32,457,522

A. J. GRINDLE POWDERED COAL APPARATUS Filed July 29 y1919 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .maar .ima a fiJNusD eures naar r. sarna'- an, or daremo, miners', asarfmm.'A emr La' i y 1 mr comm, coureur-maorrownmancoaaarraaaraj r To all lwhom s't lmay com-em.

Be it known that I, Animar J. Grimm, a

: citizen of the United States of America, and

resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State ofv Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Powdered-Coal Apparatus, of which the followin is a specication, .and which are illustra in the accompanyingdrawings,forming-apartthereof.

The invention relates to apparatus for the use of wdered coal as a fuel and has special re erence to the provision of an improved carburetor or mixi device for pro- `curin uniformity in the mixture of air and comminuted fuel and adjusting the velocity of flow of the same to give best results when supplied to a jet burner. The principal object of the invention is therefore to provide a paratus for insurin such e regularity in tlie relative amounts o air and fuel in the combustible mixture and the required rate of delivery of the same to the burner for obtaining a continuous flame of uniform intensity. Y,

In the accomipanying drawings Fig. 1 is a p an-view, partial y in section, showin the improved carbureter and an asv sociate burner separated from other parts;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1, partly in section;

' Fig. 3 is an elevation of the apparatus viewed from the discharge end of the burner; Fig. 4 is anelevation of a detail of the carburetor separated from other parts; 35 Flg.

5 is a detail longitudinal sectional view of the carbureter taken on the line 5-f5 of Figl;

" Fig. 6 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of a 'meltin furnace with which the improved form o carburetor may be used,

a pluralit of the carbureters and one of .the

associate burners being shown in elevation,

- while a second burner is shown in section; V Fig. 7 is a sectional view similar to a detail of Fig. 2, but showing a modified form of construction; and

\ F' 8 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 6.

' In the apparatus illustrated for the purpose of disclosing one embodiment of the invention, the conduits 47 and 88 may be of considerable length and may have a luix- '1 lture of and powdered fuel fed thereciall desi -iiliigiieieai exea my as, isis.. .semi no.' 3414,12?. c

through by suiteble apparatus, the mixture being given a high velocityin. orderfthat the air may successfully carry the fuel with it. Each of the said conduits delivers to the corresponding burner or 89 throu h i a carbureter 58 or 90 which formsthe su ject of the accompanying claims. v Carbureterf A58 is preferably circular 'in cross section at the end ad'acent the'conduit- 47 to which it is connecte and increases in -size toward its op osite end where it is dat tened to rectangu ar shape, the rectan ar portion being of uniformv cross sections area and of approximately. twice Athe cross secr tional area of the conduit 47., .Delivery of the mixed fuel and air to the associated burner 60 at relatively low .velocity is thus obtained while'still maintaininl locity for the charge through t e said first mentioned end portion of the carbureter.

The carbureter .58 preferably also includes a mixing device nerally designated 80, illustrated in detaifein Figs. 4 and- 5. f

Preferably the smaller tubular portion of the carburetor shell is of ,uniform cross sectional area for a ortion of its length to receive"a ring 53 w ich fits closely within the shell and is .removablyheld in place therein as byv set screws, one of which is shown at 52. Within the ring 53 are mounted two oppositel inclined sets of'wstat'ionary de'- flectin b ades 54, 55. As shown the two sets of bla es 54, 55, are concentrically arranged at different distances from a central hub l56, the eiect of-tlie blades being 'to tend to rotate the axial and the surrounding portions respectively, of the blast of mixed air an a high vefuel in opposite directions and therebyinsure the greatest uniformity in the mixture. Location of the mixing device 80 in the said smaller tubular portion of the carburetor shell contemplates 'the agitation of the blast of mixed air and fuel -b the oppositelyin clined deilecti blades 4 and 55 while the said blast is. sti moving at a high velocity,

but immediately prior to the reduction of.

velocity due to the entrance of the blast into the flaring portion of the carbureter shell. f

The furnace illustrated in Fig. 6 is spe ed for use as a melting furnace. As s own, it comprises side walls, as Sla roof 82, and hearth 83. Preferably the` earth 83 slopes upwardly adjacent one end of the Vit duri furnace, as at t?. 'This arrangement contemplates that the cold charge to he melmd will be heaped upon the lower portion of the hearth, thus leaving the upwardly inclined portion 87 exposed until the charge is melted and the furnace is in full operation. The interior of the furnace may thue be ,considered as divided into a combustion cha ber 85 and a heating chamber 36. The up- Wardly inclined ortion 87 of the hearth then constitutes t e door ot the combustion chamber until it iscovered b the molten bath. As this portion of the earth slopes downwardly toward the heating chamber, the melted 'uel ash which may collect upon the early part ot the operation will drain t ererom to mintle with the slag which accumulates upon e melting charge.

While the burner 60 is the only one shown at the front ot the furnace,-it vvill be understood that a number of such burners, arranged as desired, may be used. Preferably, each burner comprises an outer chambered shell til, formed with a circumferential bead 62 for limiting its entrance into the furnace Wall and making a tight joint'with the margins of the opening, as t2, thereln. As the maximum burner opening v-vill not be reaired at ell timee, and as it may be desirgble to control the direction ot the dame Within the furnace, a pair of swinging vanos 63, 6d, may he mounted within vthe shell 61. s shown, the avvinging venes 63, te, are each formed with horizontally 'directed trunnons 65,66, lat their appunto e es, and a handle,`as 67, is appli to one o the trimnions of each of the'vanes for lts adJustments Preferably, each of the, handles 67 is termed with a lateral projection 68, havinga curved slot which receives a clamping holt 69 for securing the corresponding vane in adjusted position.

To prevent the deleterious action ci heat upon the burner, the venes 63, 6d, when emplayed, are preferably also chambered and provision is made for the circulation ot Water throu h the chambers of the 'burner shell d1 and t e vanes. As shown, an inlet water pipe 70 is formed on the shell 61 admitting water to its chamber. From the chambert of the shell 6l, the water is conducted, as by means ci pi 71, to the adjacent trunnion 66 of one o the venes, as di, all of which trunnions are preferably made tubular with portions extending to the chambers of the corresponding vanes. Two of the trunnions 65, 66, are then connected by pipe 73 (Fig. 3) for the transfer of water from one to the other vane. The remainin trunnion is connected with pipe 7a throng which the water is led avra li desired, a series 'of bao plates 72 ig. 1) may be arranged within the chamber of each vane 63, 64. 'flhese hmm are edective to prevent the path ot the Water heim? confined to that part of the vane entrena ot the vane, Whereas t is condition might e .accompanied with the formation of steam in the remainder of the chamber and melting of the vane along its outer edge.

ln the modification shown in Fig.V 7, a separate tubular connector or nozzle 76 is interposed between the carburetor 58 and burner 60. rllhis nozzle is formed with a dange 75 at one end which is detachably bolted to a dange 59 at the adjacent end of the carbureter While the other end ot the nozzle slips into the burner, its entrance being limited by a circumferential bead 77. The arrangement permits of the parts being readily taken down tor inspection or repair, er the nozzle 76 may be renewed, When required, Without disturbing the connection between the burner 60 and the furnace Wall 8l or vvater pipes 7d.

rlihe carburetor and burners 89 may be et like construction with the carbureter 58 'and burner 60, but ol diderent shape, and

no adjustable dellecting blades are provided in the burners 89. As shown, the burners 89 project through the roof 82 ot the furnace, each burner covering substantially half the width of the furnace and being directed downwardly and forwardly at a suitable angle. H delivery of fuel to the conduits 88 is entirelg interrupted, air alone may be introduced t rough one or both of the burners 89 for supplementing the supply of air for combustion of the fuel delivered through the burner 60, and when so introduced this supplemental stream of air will have the effeet ci depressing the Home upon the material carried on the hearth 83. On the other hand, mixed air and fuel may be supplied to one or both of the burners 89, when desired to supplement the flame delivered by the burners at the front end of the furnace. While the two burners 89 are shown as being arranged in a common plane, it will be understood that any number of these additional burners may be used and that they may be arranged along the furnace as requiredf y a proper manipulation of the vanes 63, Gt, ot the burner 60, the flame may be directed into any part of the furnace. When a fresh charge of cold iron has been placed upon the hearth 83, it is usually preferable to so adjust the vanes as to cause the blast to impin 'upon the then exposed floor 87 of the com ustion chamber for heating the same to more readily maintain combustion of the fuel. It is noted, however, that when :a uniform admixture of air and fuel is maintained, whereby separate sts or puil's of Home are avoided, there Wl1 be no failure of ignition when the llame has once been started and the deposit of a burnin oil soaked rag or the like upon the door of the combustion chamber at the 1| fl f1 of the operation will usually be sucient V`blades mounted wlthin the smaller .the conduit immediately adjacent t e said igniting the fuel. Inter, in the operation of t e furnace, the vanes 63, 64, of the burner may be adjusted to direct the flame into the heating chamber 86. When the furnace is in full operation it may desirable to swing the directing vanes to their open position and1 the additional burners 89 may also be use I claim as my invention:

1. In a powdered fuel feeder, in combination, a burner, a circular conduit adapted to have a blast of air and fuel passed therethrough, an expandn connection applied to the delivery end of t e conduit for reducing the velocity of said blast and a iiattened connection between said expanding connection and said burner.

2. In a powdered fuel feeder, in combination, a burner, a conduit of less cross sectional area than the burner inlet opening adapted to have a blast of air and comminuted fuel passed therethrough lfor delivery to the burner, mixing blades in said conduit, said conduit increasing substantially in size adjacent the burner as compared with its size at the blades whereby the velocity of the blast entering the burner is reduced.

3. In a powdered coal ap aratus, in combination, a jet burner, a con uit of less cross sectional area than the burner inlet opening adapted to have a blast of air and comminuted solid fuel passed therethrou h for delivery to the burner, and means or reduc-` ing the veloci?7 of said blast at the burner comprising a arin connection between the conduit and the sai burner.

4. In a powdeiied coal ap aratus, in combination, a jet burner, a con uit connected to the burner and being of uniform cross sectional area substantially less` than the area of the burner inlet o nin throughout the major portion of its engt and expanding to the sizeof the burner inlet opening immediately a.' acent the burner, adapted to have a blast of air and comminuted solid fuel passed therethrough and a set of mixing art o expanding portion ofthe same.

5. In a powdered coal ap aratus, in combination, a burner, a con uit adapted to carry a blast of air and fuel leading thereto, and comprising a cylindrical portion forthe portion of its length remote from the burner, and of' rectangular shape having twice the cross-sectional area of the said cylindrical portionv at the end adjacent the burner opening.

6. In a powdered coal apparatus, in combination, a burner, atubular conduit leading to the burner and ada vted to carry a blast of air and comminuted el, said conduit being of cylindrical form for a portion of its lengthmadjacent the end remote from the burner, and of rectangular sha having greater cross-sectional area than t e said c lindrical portion at the end adjacent t e burner opening, and an annular series of stationary inclined blades mounted within the cylindrical portion of said conduit section. i

7. In a powdered coal apparatus, in combination a burner, a tubu ar conduit section leading to said burner for conve ing the blast of air and comminuted fue of cylindrical form for a portion of its le h remote from said burner and of rectangu ar shape havin greater cross sectional area than the sai cylindrical portion at the end adjacent the burner opening and a mixing device removabl mounted within the said cylindrical portion of the conduit section comprising a ring which fits closely within thesaid'cylindrical ortion of the conduit section and an annu ar series of stationary inclined deecting blades mounted within and carried by the said ring.

8. In a powdered coal apparatus, in com bination, a burner, a `tubu ar conduit section leading to said burner for conve ing the. blast of air and comminuted fuel o cyl f lindrical form for a portion of its length remote from said burner and of oblong Arectangular shape having greater cross sectional area than the said cylindrical portion at the end adjacent the burner opening, and a mixing device removably mounted within the said cylindrical portion of the conduit section comprising a rin which lits closely within the said cylindrical portion of the conduit section and an annular seriesof stationary inclined defiecting blades mounted within and carried by the said ring, the diameter and width of the said ring being respectively less than the longer and shorter dimensions of the said voblong rectangular end of the conduit section to permit insertion and removal of the said mix ing device through the said oblong rectangular end of the conduit section. 

